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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 116 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  2. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  3. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  4. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  5. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  6. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  7. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  8. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  9. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  10. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  11. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  12. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  13. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  14. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  15. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  16. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  17. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  18. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  19. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  20. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  21. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  22. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  23. Did you ________________ the meat?
  24. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. spring — the season
  2. pass — to spend time
  3. rule — a law
  4. season — in sport
  5. season — of the year
  6. pitch — a sports field
  7. pitch — completely
  8. degree — an amount
  9. stem — a stem cell
  10. squash — the sport
  11. degree — temperature
  12. spring — a coil
  13. stem — to come from
  14. rule — to rule out
  15. spring — of water
  16. rule — government
  17. pass — a permit
  18. stem — of a plant
  19. pass — to succeed
  20. squash — to crush
  21. squash — the vegetable
  22. degree — from a university
  23. season — to add flavour
  24. pitch — a sales talk

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com